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Reveration Blog

7/30/2025 1 Comment

Restraint

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Jeff [1] works in a start-up company that meets in a new office complex in Seattle. He is a bright, creative young man who would have a fantastic future except for one glaring character flaw—his inability to keep his words and emotions in check. When Jeff joined four other young entrepreneurs to launch Still Waters, a meta platform that focuses on AI research, his team was excited about his experience and skills utilizing AI. But after six months of working together, the team found several frustrating traits about him.

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2/6/2024 1 Comment

You Must Be Quiet

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I was talking to my stressed certified public accountant (CPA).  It is that time of year when he prepares tax returns for all his clients. The strain on his face was palpable, so his answer was no surprise when I asked him what I could pray for him. “Ask God to relieve the stress and anxiety of this tax season.” 
           
​Eric requests prayer for Ben and Kelly’s failing marriage. Erwin needs intercession for his beloved wife, Sue’s deteriorating health. Jerry seeks wisdom in his job addressing conflicts with Iran, Russia, Ukraine, China, Taiwan, Israel, and Hamas. Nanette argues passionately for the right to see her grandson to the deaf ears of a drug-addicted daughter.  Her prayer is for reconciliation and healing.

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1/31/2022 0 Comments

Don't Get Agitated!

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Do you know someone who constantly bothers you?  Are there people who consistently distress your life by their words or actions?  If this is your experience it is not unusual. I am pretty sure almost every human on the planet gets agitated—some on a daily or hourly basis! What causes such tension? Immaturity, unnecessary volume, rudeness, dangerous driving habits, failure to learn and correct mistakes, claiming to know what someone thinks, not listening . . . the list can be annoying long.

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4/24/2021 1 Comment

The Source of Peace

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When I conducted a search for the “10 most stressful events” on the internet, the first two sources listed moving as #7.[1] I remember learning from a sociology class at West Point that moving was a big stressor.  It does make sense.  Moving is largely comprised of change, and the transitions change demand can be cortisol-producing. Imagine driving a packed 26-foot U-Haul truck from Colorado to Virginia and encountering drivers who seem clueless that one cannot slam on the brakes and immediately stop a fully-loaded truck! My physics professors would be proud of that observation. (May the woman who impatiently darted in front of me in Tennessee please learn that lesson). I’m also pretty sure my wife more than maxed her stress points trying to follow me in the Subaru as I wove between trucks on I-40. Despite all the miles, we made it accident-free and in pretty good shape. No animals were harmed, only one old piece of furniture was damaged, and, thanks to Covid, we had no problems finding hotel rooms.  ​

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10/5/2016

Beating the Ground

Will Rogers humorously noted, “Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft.  Today it’s called golf.”  

​Have you ever gone golfing with someone and watched them completely lose their composure when their swing was errant?  I’ve seen players wrap a club around a tree in anger, hurl clubs in frustration, beat the ground with putters, irons or drivers, and, turn completely red in the face—totally frustrated by the uncooperative antics of a small white ball.  

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4/30/2016

Calm on the Plane

If you need more drama in your life, try this—sit in the middle seat on a packed airplane with two screaming babies nearby and feel the tension rise on the plane.  Some people are wishing they could be anywhere else on the planet.  Others wonder what is wrong with the parents that they cannot get their baby to be quiet.  Some are compassionate—no doubt they’ve been in the same awkward spot with their own little children.  Still others remain oblivious, sheltered inside their noise-cancelling headphones loudly playing Simon and Garfunkel’s classic, “The Sound of Silence.”

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10/16/2011 0 Comments

Valor

​Brian Birdwell in his book Refined by Fire wrote, “We all face personal fires—those life-changing, traumatic times when the course of our lives are altered.”  On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked and crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.  MAJ Brian Birdwell was so close to the impact area that the ensuing explosion burned 60% of his body.  He endured over thirty surgeries, fought off numerous life-threatening infections and suffered continuous horrific pain to the point that he “begged God constantly to let me die.”

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8/18/2011 0 Comments

Unflappable

​Admiral Yi Sun-Shin (1545–98)is one of the most famous military heroes in Korean history.  He was born into a poor family but through hard work and effort rose to become a brilliant strategist and Admiral.  At the age of 28 he took the government examination to become an officer but during the practical portion fell off his horse and failed.  Shamed by his failure he worked harder and four years later he retook the exam and passed. Eventually his persistence and wisdom convinced his superiors to give him command of a naval station in Cholla province.  

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12/25/2010 0 Comments

Bee Stings

​Dinner with Carlos and his family turned out to be quite extraordinary.  We arrived looking to encourage them with our Hope and instead enjoyed rich fellowship.  Francisco, Rocio, and their three children all have a strong faith in God.  While eating Rocio’s incredible Tamales, I asked Francisco how he came to meet the Lord.

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4/28/2009 0 Comments

Rescue

​Greg is an avid kayaker. Along with his two sons, they decided to make a trip on the Tennessee River.  Together they had a great day paddling until they hit a section where five-foot swells continually pounded them.  His boys were in larger kayaks and had little difficulty cutting through the waves.  Soon they were far away from Greg.  But their dad hit a portion in the middle of the river where he could no longer cut through the waves and he began to take on water.  With only a water bottle to bail he continued to sink.  Calmly recognizing that his life was in serious danger, he prayed, “God, I need Your help, there is nothing I can do.”

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9/13/2007

Trapped!

​Eldon, an elderly couple, a widow and I chatted as we descended from the 14thfloor on our way to the banquet.  Suddenly the elevator lurched and we heard what sounded like slipping chains or misaligned gears and we came to a stop somewhere just below the 6thfloor.  If the cables holding us broke I figured we had about a 7-story fall and who knows what injuries we might sustain. The notion of death crossed my mind and I thought how weird and unforeseen it would be to die with my great one-star-Lord-loving boss in a hotel elevator!  

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7/28/2006 0 Comments

Safety

​The Deschutes River in Oregon is 173.4 miles long. It runs through rugged forest and deserted desert sometimes cascading with terrific roar, sometimes ambling like some peaceful toddler.  It is a great river to fish for steelhead and salmon.  On the lower Deschutes people often come to whitewater raft.  And for that experience, my son, Stephen and I, joined 17 folks from Southwest Hills Baptist Church.

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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles